Retribution
by Ms. Marla
Summary: Hatred is a dangerous thing.  Especially when it's teamed up with power.
1. Assassination

_A/N: Okay, so before we begin let me explain the time period of this story. It is set after The Opal Deception, but before The Lost Colony. Actually, for the sake of argument, let's just say that none of you have read The Lost Colony. It just makes more sense that way. Happy reading!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl. Eoin Colfer does._

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**Chapter One; Assassination **

_Haven_

It was three minutes until midnight according to the clock on Holly Short's bedside table. Every sensible fairy was fast asleep, resting for the full day's work that tomorrow held for them. Every sensible fairy that is, except for Holly Short herself. She lay wide awake in bed, staring at the neon green numbers emitted by the clock, watching the minutes of her life tick away slowly. In the complete silence of a dead night, Holly mulled over the events that had occurred in the past week of her life.

The past seven days had been full of shock, trauma, death, and of course the ever recurring near death experiences. Opal Koboi had come back for her supposed coma. Holly gnashed her teeth at the thought of the megalomaniac pixie and all the trouble she had caused. Commander Root was dead. Julius had died at the hands of the vengeful Koboi. Holly closed her eyes to hold back the tears. He had died valiantly. And Koboi had been stopped.

Holly rolled over at two minutes past midnight, deciding that she was sick of watching the neon numbers slowly will the night away. Instead, she opted for staring at her peach coloured wall. Thoughts continued to consume the elf. Artemis Fowl, her friend and ally; he had his memories back. A small smile grew on Holly's lips at this thought. She was glad that Artemis had been there to help her defeat Koboi. She couldn't have done it without him. She would definitely ask for his assistance on her next mission.

But what would her next mission be? After Julius had been murdered, a new Commander had been placed in power. Sool; never was there someone who Holly detested more. Not even Chix Verbil. Chix was annoying, not evil. Sool was evil, of that Holly was certain. She could not work with him; not after he accused her of killing Root. Not after he accused her of killing the fairy that had been like a father to her for so long. And so, Holly refused to work with him. She quit the LEP, she gave up her dream. And Holly Short opened up her own Private Investigations firm with her flatulent friend Mulch Diggums.

Another small smile crept over Holly's lips as she thought of Mulch and their many exploits. He would make a good partner, and good conversation. But no matter how much she enjoyed Mulch's company, Holly had a twinge of regret about leaving the LEP. It meant much fewer aboveground visits. No more daring shuttle piloting. No more fancy Neutrino manoeuvres. No more of Foaly's witty remarks before a mission.

Holly shook her head softly. She wouldn't stop talking to Foaly. No matter how big a stink worm Sool was, he could not stop her from talking to her friends. He wouldn't do something like that; Holly wouldn't let him.

Holly wriggled her body under the blue blankets that covered her body, finding a rather comfortable spot. A content smile appeared on her features as she closed her eyes for the night. What Holly did not know, was that her first mission as a private eye would come sooner than expected. And it would come from someone totally _un_expected.

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As Holly Short drifted off into a well-deserved slumber, evil was afoot just outside of the big city. For years, the Birch family had been smuggling and dealing illegal weapons to illegal fairies. They were possibly the biggest weapon supplier to criminals underneath the Earth. However, being clever criminals as well, they never left any evidence behind. Consequently, they had been operating for the last decade without the LEP ever being able to bust them. Tonight was no different. Not yet.

Tawny Birch and her twin brother Timothy were the youngest members of the Birch clan, and as such they got stuck with many low-key delivery missions. Not exactly as dangerous or fun as Tawny and Timothy wanted. None the less, they sat outside an old warehouse on the outskirts of Haven, waiting. There were two large, wooden crates behind them. These crates were full to the brim with shiny, loaded weapons.

A clock struck twelve somewhere in the distance. Tawny looked over at her brother; annoyance written all over her face.

"Where is this guy?" she asked, "He was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago. I have better things to do than sit outside all night."

"Sure you do," Timothy rolled his eyes. His sister shot him a dirty look. Timothy ignored her and stretched.

"The guy better get here soon," he muttered, "I'm giving him another ten minutes or we're packing in."

"No need for that."

Tawny and Timothy looked at each other and then spun around to face the opposite direction, where the comment had originated from. Now in front of them, there stood a cloaked figure. His facial features were not visible, but from the way he stood and his height Timothy drew the conclusion that the male was an elf.

"Nice theatrics," Tawny snorted, "Are you here to pick up this shipment?"

"I am," the figure took a step toward the female sprite and Timothy jumped in front of his sister.

"The password," he instructed, "No deal unless you have it."

"Of course," the male droned, "It's _Metropolis_." Timothy nodded. Each delivery that the Birch family did had a unique password and no one knew that password other than the deliverers, Timothy and Tawny, the recipient, that odd cloaked elf, and the boss, who created the password.

"And the payment?" Tawny requested, sticking her head out from behind her brother's shoulder. He was only slightly taller.

"I'm afraid that's going to be a little bit of a problem," replied the elf. Timothy's eyes narrowed. This guy was unbelievable. He was going to try and talk himself out of payment. Timothy put his hand inside his jacket, resting his palm on the gun that sat on his belt.

"No payment, no…"

Timothy never got to finish his sentence or draw his weapon. Before either of the Birch twins knew what was happening, the cloaked figure had drawn a rather large pistol-looking weapon and opened fire. Two shots later and both Tawny and Timothy lay on the floor, shot right through the wings. Their magic couldn't help them. They were a good as dead.

The stranger smiled and approached the crates, running his smoking weapon over the smooth wood. He pulled out a communicator and dialled a number, after first checking to see that there were no witnesses to deal with. He heard a deep voice answer his call.

"Did you do it?" the voice requested.

"Of course I did."

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_A/N: And that's the end of Chapter One. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and let me know if I should bother continuing. Constructive criticism is welcome. Cheers!_

_-Liv._


	2. Bickering

**Chapter Two; Bickering**

_Haven_

Early the next morning, Holly was woken by fists pounding on the front door to her apartment. Her large, hazel eyes flew open and glanced quickly at the clock beside her. It was barely six and yet the someone outside her door was nothing other than wide awake. Holly had the common sense to realize that the rapid speed of the banging on her door meant that whoever was out there needed her urgently. A thousand possibilities ran through her mind, none of them good, but the worst had her thinking that Koboi had escaped from prison already. Holly swallowed hard as she threw on a black sweatshirt over her pyjamas. If that was the case, she wouldn't know what to do.

Upon rushing to the door and throwing it open, Holly's heart nearly split in two. Standing there, looking tired and stressed, was Major Trouble Kelp. There was no doubt in Holly's mind; he was here to tell her of Koboi's cunning escape. She suddenly felt very parched.

"Holly," Trouble breathed, "Sorry for waking you up. Mind if I come in?" Holly's exhausted mind took a moment to process the request. Then she nodded, a bit relieved. If Koboi had escaped Trouble would have told her right away, after all she was the recently recovered public enemy number one. At Holly's nod, Trouble entered her apartment, kicking off his shoes and heading towards the living room area. He sat down at the couch, gazing around at the familiar surroundings.

"Why are you here Trouble?" asked Holly, sitting down beside her friend and former co-worker. Trouble said nothing. Instead he stood up and approached the television, pressing the power button. The screen flickered to life and the news was instantly broadcasted throughout the room.

"A double murder," the ground reporter spoke quickly, "Two sprites, believed to be members of the Birch Clan. The LEP have begun an investigation as to why the murders took place, but are refusing to release any details, other than that the estimated time of death is just past midnight. We'll keep you updated folks."

Trouble pressed the power button a second time and the screen returned to its black colour. Holly bit her lip. Although it didn't completely answer her question, it gave her some insight as to why Trouble was bothering her at this early hour.

"So what's the real deal?" Holly asked, eyeing Trouble with raised eyebrows.

"They were Birches," Trouble told her, "And they were delivering something."

"Okay," Holly stifled a yawn. Now was not the time for tiredness. There was a certain tone in Trouble's voice that told Holly something serious was afoot. "How bad is it?"

"Bad," Trouble muttered, "The suspected murderer left something behind. Or rather, two somethings."

"And those are?"

Trouble took his pack off his shoulder and placed it on the floor at Holly's feet. He knelt down and reached into the pack. Holly blinked twice to make sure she was seeing what he pulled out correctly. A gun, unlike anything the LEP used. It was sleek and the elf could tell that it was new.

"It's loaded," Trouble muttered, "And he left us this too." He handed Holly a sheet of paper; a note. She took it and read it over three times.

"There were two cases?" she asked incredulously. Trouble nodded solemnly. Holly sighed deeply and reached out her hand to take the weapon from Trouble. He handed it to her without a question.

"What does it fire?" she asked, running her fingers along the barrel.

"Metal," the Major answered, "Like the Mud Men." Holly stood up from her place on the couch and paced for a moment. Then she turned to Trouble.

"Do you want something to drink?" she asked brightly. Trouble looked at her, apparently confused, but nodded after a moment.

"Nettle smoothie?" he asked, "I haven't had one this morning." It was true. He had been jerked out of bed at two in the morning to respond to a call. For the past four hours he had been conducting an investigation at the scene of the murder.

"Yeah, me neither," Holly said sarcastically. Trouble smirked and followed the female elf to the kitchen area of her apartment.

"What happened in here?" he asked, pointing at various food items thrown all across the room. Holly shrugged innocently.

"Couldn't figure out what I wanted for dinner last night," she mumbled. Trouble laughed as Holly pulled two nettle smoothies out of her fridge and poured them into tall glasses. After taking a long sip, she looked at Trouble.

"So seriously," she said, "Why'd you come here? What do you need?" Trouble looked unsure of what to say, so he took another sip of his smoothie, buying himself time to think up a response. Holly glared at him expectedly, waiting.

"Because," Trouble said, "We need help." Holly nearly snorted.

"You need help?" she repeated, "My help?"

"You were a good officer Holly," he said.

"Were," Holly echoed, "As in the past."

"Holly, you quit barely a week ago," Trouble tried to reason with her; "It's not that far in the past." 

"Exactly," Holly nodded, "I'm not ready to help the LEP yet, especially not with an idiot like Sool in charge. What did he say when you told him you were coming down here?"

"Nothing," Trouble muttered, suddenly very interested in Holly's countertops. Holly grimaced.

"He doesn't even know, does he?"

Trouble shook his head, "We got into a bit of an argument." Holly stared at him with a look that said nothing except 'go on'. Trouble did so.

"He doesn't want to make a big deal out of this case," Trouble informed her, "He says it'll freak everyone right out of we make a big deal of two mobster murders. All he wants is a few of my best officers."

"And?"

"And he said that the only way he opens up a fully-fledged investigation is if one of these weapons is used on a fairy again. And that's exactly why I'm here Short. I want your help to find this guy." 

"Just put your best men on it Trouble," she said unhappily, "Just listen to Sool."

"But…" 

"No! No buts, if you don't listen, you'll be out of a job. And the LEP will lose their best officer and you'll have no hope of ever solving this case."

"We already lost our best officers," Trouble muttered, "The LEP's finest Commander and Captain, gone."

Holly closed her eyes to hide the fact that she wanted to cry. When she opened them again, Trouble was standing up.

"So, what do you say Holly?"

The ex-captain was torn. She wanted to help, but she didn't want to get involved with the LEP just yet. And besides that, if she helped and Sool found out, Trouble would be fired on the spot. She couldn't do that to the Major, he was one of her best friends.

"Sorry Trouble," she said sullenly, "Maybe if things get worse. Maybe."

Trouble looked at her sadly, disappointment clear in his eyes.

"Right," he muttered, "I guess I'll get going." Holly nodded and led him out of the kitchen. Trouble gathered his pack and put his shoes on in complete silence. Holly avoided his eyes at all costs. Finally, he placed his hand on the doorknob and turned his back to Holly.

"Later Short," he said.

"Bye."

Trouble left, closing the door a little harder than necessary and Holly stalked back into her bedroom. Slumping onto the bed she wondered if things could possibly get any worse. As she would soon find out, they could. A lot worse, actually.

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_A/N: Well, I hope you liked that. Please review and let me know. Awesome, and whoever is reading this…you rock. Cheers!_

_-Liv xoxo_


	3. Coaxing

_A/N: Hello all of you. Thanks for the reviews. They all make me smile a whole bunch. And I just thought that you should know that I'm not yet revealing what relationship is in this story. You have to keep reading to find out. Please don't hate me. Happy reading!_

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**Chapter Three; Coaxing**

_Fowl Manor, Ireland_

It was nearly noon in Ireland and the sun shone brightly, reflecting off the vividly green grass that was the lawn at Fowl Manor. Fifteen year old Artemis sat on the patio sipping on ice cold spring water. His icy blue eyes were shaded by expensive Versace sunglasses; which just happened to be the only summer-appropriate attire that the teenager was sporting. Artemis was bored. His parents had gone out for a day of shopping and Holly had not called him for three days; although he didn't really blame her. Holly had a lot of things to tidy up in her life; what with the entire Koboi incident. Artemis shuddered, even with the immense heat. He was still having a hard time believing that he and Holly had escaped an entire pack of hungry trolls. Of course they would be nothing other than bones right now had it not been for Mulch Diggums and, of course, Butler. Artemis gazed upwards. Butler was sitting on the balcony above him, watching the grounds carefully. Artemis smiled and took another sip of his water. As he brought the glass away from his face, Artemis noticed a slight shimmer over his left shoulder. He smirked.

"Good afternoon Holly," he said, "Glad to see you." There was no response, no elves materializing into the visible spectrum, no Holly. There was only the feeling of cold metal being pressed against Artemis' neck. Definitely not Holly. It was then that Artemis realized that he had a very big problem. Not only was there fairy weaponry pressed against his neck, no doubt loaded, but Butler was oblivious to what was going on. The fairy was invisible to him. Artemis risked a glance upwards, to see if by some chance Butler had reacted. His was disappointed. The manservant was still sitting, peacefully overlooking the property of Fowl Manor. Butler's eyes rested on Artemis for a minute and the large man gave a small wave. Artemis didn't move a muscle.

"Wave back," he heard a gruff voice whisper in his ear. Artemis snapped back to reality and waved politely back at Butler. A tiny idea blossomed in the back of the boy's mind. The fact that this 'assassin' had spoke to him meant that he was probably negotiable. Perhaps Artemis could talk himself out of this. He spoke extremely quietly.

"Why are you here?" As Artemis spoke, his lips barely moved.

"Doesn't the gun give you an idea genius?" Artemis pulled his water back to him and sipped it thoughtfully. He was surprised at how calm he was. This fairy obviously knew who he was and was therefore sent to kill him specifically. Just as he had thought, the fairies would not commit a random murder. But which fairy didn't like Artemis? Doubtlessly there were a few, but only one came to the teenager's mind. Artemis sighed inwardly. Butler had always said Commander Root may one day be replaced with someone not quite as fond of the Mud People. 

"So you're here to kill the infamous Artemis Fowl?"

"Don't flatter yourself kid," came the annoyed reply. Artemis rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. Hopefully this fairy was as dumb as he sounded.

"You know," Artemis droned, "It's hardly a feat if you don't give me a chance to defend myself."

"And how could I do that?" The question was sarcastic. The fairy didn't really care.

"You've been shielded this whole time," Artemis coaxed, "Hardly fair. Why don't you unshield, that'd be a story to tell. You defeated Artemis Fowl without a magical advantage."

There was silence. The fairy was thinking about what he had said. Thinking was good. Artemis tried very hard to stop himself from smiling. He then felt his chair being spun around and was face to face with a very ugly looking elf. The gun was now level with his heart. The elf smirked evilly as Artemis stared right into his eyes.

"Take a good look kid," the elf spat, "This'll be the last thing you'll ever see."

Artemis smiled a vampire smile, cunning and intelligent.

"Think again," he said, "Think again."

The elf was so consumed in his mission he didn't even realize, that as the bright sun disappeared, there was not a single cloud dotting the crystal blue sky. Before he could reply to Artemis' remark, the fairy hit man had been knocked out cold by the handle of Butler's rifle. The shadow that had consumed them was none other than the bodyguard himself.

Artemis stood up and the elf, who had slumped onto his lap, fell to the ground. The teenager looked at his lifetime friend.

"Thank you," he said. Butler shook his head.

"That was too close," he muttered. 

"Agreed, but who was really expecting such a thing?"

Butler did not answer. Artemis knelt down next to the elf and studied his features carefully.

"I wonder who the little guy is working for," Butler mused out loud.

"Not the faintest idea," Artemis shrugged, "However, I'm sure Holly would love to hear all about this."

"Maybe love isn't the right word," Butler told his employer.

"Maybe not," Artemis grinned, "But I'll tell her anyways. Butler would you be so kind as to put our little _friend_ in a safe place until we can come up with a plan?"

Butler nodded and Artemis, after grabbing the elf's weapon, padded off to his room. He had a very important phone call to make.

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Holly was still in bed, her head covered by pillows when she heard beeping coming from beside her clock. She glanced over and saw her communicator from the Koboi incident flashing red. It could only be one person. Holly grabbed the communicator and popped it open.

"Hey Artemis," she smiled brightly. Upon looking at the boy's face, Holly's smile faded. "Problem?"

"Yes," Artemis nodded, "I was almost killed just moments ago. The interesting thing is though, that a fairy tried to kill me." At this remark, Artemis could've sworn he saw Holly's face turn from nut-brown to green.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice suddenly strained.

"I'm talking about what I just told you," Artemis muttered, "There was an attempt made on my life by one of your folk."

"Oh Frond," Holly sighed, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but I just thought that you ought to know. And I also think you ought to know that I believe Sool is behind this."

Holly's hazel eyes grew to an unbelievable size.

"Are you kidding Artemis?" she said, "Sool is the Commander. I know he's as mean as a troll, but…"

"It's my theory Holly," Artemis cut her off, "It shouldn't really upset you as we both know how wretched Sool is."

Holly thought about what the boy was saying for a long, hard moment. Then realization seemed to write itself across her face, slowly, but surely.

"Artemis," she said urgently, "What kind of weapon did the fairy have?" Artemis held up the gun so that Holly could see it. If Holly had been standing up, she would've fallen over. The gun that Artemis was holding up was identical to the one Trouble had showed her earlier. Artemis was right; he had to be.

"D'Arvit," she swore, "Artemis I have to go. Keep the criminal locked up. We'll send up someone to get him."

She broke the connection and thought out her options quickly.

_We'll send up someone to get him._ The words echoed in her mind a thousand times. She just hoped the someone she had in mind was still on her side.

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_A/N: Well please review. Thanks a billion and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Cheers!_

_-Liv xoxo _


	4. Decision

_A/N: Hello all. Sorry about the lack of update this weekend. I've been quite busy, and every waking hour, in which I was not occupied, I was reading Harry Potter, which I finished. And I must say it was beyond amazing. Hurray! Anyways, I have some important information for you all._

_I realize that in almost all your reviews you are asking about a pairing for this story, and I have not yet told you who it shall be. I feel kind of bad about this, as you are reading this and I hate to be leading you on and getting your hopes up. So unlike my last story, this will feature a relationship between Holly and Trouble. I'm really sorry if you don't approve, but it just seems to fit so much better into the plot line for this story. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Hope you'll still read. Enjoy this chapter._

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**Chapter Four; Decision**

_Haven_

After quickly replacing her pyjamas with regular clothing and brushing both her hair and teeth, Holly Short took off out of her apartment like the devil himself was after her. She didn't even bother waiting for an elevator, sure they were extremely fast, but they took forever to open. Holly didn't have forever. She bounded down the stairs two, sometimes three, at a time. As she ran, she nearly knocked over a frail looking gnome who lived across the hall from her. Without stopping, Holly shouted a quick sorry, making a beeline for the exit.

Once she stepped outside, her ears were greeted with the roaring sounds of a work day in Haven. Holly paused for a moment. She was not out of breath just yet; rather she wanted to think. Should she call Mulch? He was, after all, her partner. After a moment's consideration, Holly decided against it. Time was of the essence. Mulch could wait. The elf turned left and ran down the sidewalk, earning many odd glares as she passed. It was then that Holly really wished she had a pair of wings.

It took minutes that felt like hours to reach the apartment she had been looking for. Holly glanced down at her watch. It had only been eleven minutes since she left her apartment, meaning about fifteen minutes since she had ended her call to Artemis. Holly shivered slightly as she entered the apartment building. She hoped beyond anything else that Artemis was still alive and well. A lot could happen in fifteen minutes.

It took Holly a moment to regain her train of thought and she began to jog up the stairs to the third floor. Hopefully the man she was looking for was at home. If not, it would mean he was at work, and then it would be very difficult to contact him. Upon reaching the third floor, Holly continued her jog to apartment number 7, on the left side of the hall. She knocked on the door quickly and with force. As she knocked, she shouted just loud enough so she could be heard through the door.

"Trouble, it's me! It's Holly. Open up!"

The door creaked open and Trouble Kelp stood in its frame, a look of disbelief on his features. He eyed Holly carefully before standing back and allowing her to enter. She had a vague sense of déjà vu as she entered. She had come here on more than one occasion. Holly didn't even bother taking off her shoes or moving from the doorway. It would waste time. Instead she spoke. And when she did her voice was full of urgency.

"That case, the murders, we have to solve them," Holly took several deep breaths after her sentence. Her lungs were tight from so much running. Her heart was hammering in her throat. If this is what she thought, a full scale rebellion could take place. Worse than the goblins.

"I thought you'd come around Short," Trouble smiled happily, moving to pat Holly on the back. She drew away.

"No, you don't understand Trouble. There was another attempted murder. With that same gun!"

The Major's face drained itself of colour. He looked shocked.

"Well then, we have to tell Sool!" he exclaimed, "We'll get an entire Retrieval squad on the case. We'll nab them in no time."

"No," Holly shook her head vigorously, "I need to know something first. What exactly did Sool say to you about launching an investigation? I need to know, word for word, what he said."

Trouble was quiet for a long moment, thinking it over, reliving the conversation in his memory.

"Sorry Major Kelp, we don't start any sort of investigation, not until that weapon is used on another fairy. One more fairy and you can launch all the investigations you want," Trouble paused for a moment and then nodded, "That's exactly what he told me."

Holly looked sick. She blinked several times and then looked up at Trouble, who was staring at her, apparently worried that she would be sick all over his front carpet. Not that it would make much difference. Trouble's apartment was just as messy as Holly had remembered it to always be.

"Trouble," she muttered, "I think Sool is behind all of this; the murders, the stolen weapons. He's planning something."

"But…" Trouble was searching for words that would destroy Holly's accusation. "Holly…he's the Commander."

"I know," Holly sighed, "But our near-victim, he's not a fairy."

"Artemis Fowl?"

Holly nodded solemnly.

"Sool hated him," she said, "He hated him for working with me. He sent someone to kill Artemis. The boy showed me the weapon that was used. It was the same one as the thief left you. There's something extremely dangerous going on Trouble. Sool said 'another fairy'. He would have killed Artemis and no one would have known."

Trouble's mouth was wide. He had to admit, Holly's theory was quite reasonable. It made sense, except for one small factor.

"But, if he wanted to kill Artemis," said Trouble, "Why bother stealing an entire shipment of weapons? Seems a bit pointless, doesn't it?"

Holly bit her lip and mulled over what the Major had asked her. It did seem a bit pointless to make such a large scene of one teenaged Mud Boy murder.

"Then he's planning something else," Holly said, "He has to be."

"I don't know Holly," Trouble mumbled. He didn't want to look her in the eyes. The memory of what had happened in this very spot less than a year ago seemed to just hit him. He knew Holly must remember and he chanced a look up at her. And behind her defiant eyes he saw only a tiny flicker of sadness. It was gone in a moment though, as Holly spoke again.

"Fine then Kelp!" she half-shouted, "I'll do it myself. I'll prove it to you." She turned to leave but felt a strong hand grab her shoulder.

"Don't be so hot-headed," Trouble said, spinning her around, "It'll get you nowhere."

Holly closed her eyes and muttered an apology.

"It's okay," said Trouble, "I'm sorry too. And I'll help you." 

"Are you sure?" Holly asked, "What about the LEP? What about Sool?"

"My first priority is to protect the People," Trouble smiled at her. Holly smiled feebly back, willing the tears to stay away. She had never felt so emotional in her entire life. Perhaps just once before, but that had not turned out very well.

"So," Trouble broke the silence, "What first?"

"We're going to have to pay our favourite Mud Boy a visit."

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_A/N; __Well, that's the end of this chapter. Hope it was enjoyable. Please review and again thank you for reading this. I bet it's obvious, but I dropped some major hints in this chapter. Although…hints may not be the right word. Cheers!_

_-Liv xoxo _


	5. Exiguity

_A/N: Here's the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who's still reading this. It means a lot._

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**Chapter Five; Exiguity**

_Police Plaza_

Major Trouble Kelp stepped off the sidewalk and through the main doors of Police Plaza, as he did every day. However, today was a bit different. Today he had a mission; one that, if discovered, could cost him his job. Without a second thought, Trouble walked briskly to the Ops booth. Upon reaching said booth, the elf lightly tapped on the door. Mentally, he told himself to keep all his movements very suave. If he acted otherwise, it might raise the suspicion of his fellow officers. After a moment, the door to Ops opened and Foaly's head appeared from inside.

"Hello Major," the centaur greeted him, "How can I help you?"

"I need to come inside Foaly," Trouble replied, "It's important." Foaly nodded and opened the door wider so Trouble could enter. As he sat down, Trouble could feel Foaly's eyes on his back. The centaur had never really forgiven him for the accusation of being behind the goblin rebellion. Of course, Trouble suspected there was more to it. Perhaps it was that incident with…

"So what's so important?" Foaly interrupted the elf's thoughts. Trouble looked up at him.

"Is Sool here?" asked Trouble. The technical genius gave him a funny look and scratched his head. It was almost comical to see such an intellectual making such a silly face. In fact, Trouble would have laughed, had it not been for the gravity of the situation.

"Why?" asked Foaly.

"Because," Trouble said, "You and I both know that's there something weird about him. And I'm going to be working on a case that I don't technically have clearance on."

Realization dawned on Foaly's face.

"The murders," he said, "And no. Sool isn't here." Trouble heard the way that Foaly said the Commander's name. He spat it out as though it were deadly venom. The elf didn't really blame him though. Sool had been a lousy commander, even if it had been for only a week or so. He was rude to his officers, stereotypical, and worst of all, he had made Holly quit. That had been a difficult blow for Trouble, but he knew it had been much worse for Foaly. Holly was one of his only friends in the force.

"Alright, good," Trouble nodded curtly, "What I need is a shuttle to Tara." 

"Are you kidding?" Foaly's was surprised. He had definitely not seen that request coming.

"No, I'm actually quite serious," Trouble muttered. He had felt a tiny pang of sorrow in his gut when he had heard Foaly's reply. From what Trouble knew about the centaur, he was very sarcastic with a good sense of humour. There was no humour in Foaly today. His eyes were deep and held a lot of sadness in them. Sool seemed to have driven Foaly's sarcastic manner right into the ground. All the more reason to hurry up to Tara.

"What does going aboveground have to do with Birch family murders?" asked Foaly, though inside he already knew the answer.

"There was an attempt made on Artemis Fowl's life."

Trouble's words lingered in the air for what seemed like decades. Foaly should not have been surprised. He knew, after all, that many attempts had been made on Artemis' life before. But there was just something that made Foaly hold his tongue. Perhaps he didn't want to ask the question that was burning on his mind. Of course he didn't. To ask would only mean admitting, once again, that Holly had really left. However, as the second hand rotated around the clock with perfect accuracy, Foaly realized there was no way around it.

"Does Holly know?" he asked. Trouble nodded. And as he nodded, he made note of how differently Foaly spoke Holly's name. He didn't spit it out like he did Sool's. Rather, he seemed to choke it out, as though tears threatened him every time he spoke of her. Trouble closed his eyes for a moment and thought of Holly. And for a moment, his memories came flooding back to him. And for a moment tears threatened him. But that moment passed quickly.

"Holly's outside," Trouble said softly, as though Sool was listening, "She's going to help me."

"She's outside?" Foaly echoed. Trouble nodded again. There was another short silence during which Foaly rummaged around his desk for something. After a moment he handed Trouble a starter chip.

"There's a flare in twenty minutes," he said, "Use the maintenance entrance to get her in here."

"Thanks so much Foaly," Trouble said, nearly laughing with happiness.

"Good luck," Foaly nodded to Trouble as the elf launched himself out of the Ops booth. It was much more difficult to remain suave this time around, what with the starter chip jingling in his pocket and an adventure looming just around the corner. The Major turned left at the end of the hallway, and headed down a flight of stairs. The maintenance entrance was hardly ever used. It was a late night entrance for the janitors only. Trouble sketched out a brief plan in his mind as he headed down to said entrance. He'd go around to the front of the building, fetch Holly, and then sneak her back inside so they could board the shuttle. Simple, very simple.

However, when Trouble reached the maintenance entrance and threw open the door; he was nose-to-nose with someone rather unexpected.

"Took you long enough," Holly muttered, taking a step back, away from Trouble. The Major chuckled slightly, trying to push the fact that he and Holly had been so close to the back of his mind.

"Something funny?" Holly asked.

"No," Trouble shook his head, "But how'd you know I'd come here?"

"Foaly," Holly responded, "He's so predictable. Did you get us a shuttle?"

Trouble nodded and pulled the starter chip out of his pocket. Holly smirked and snatched it out of his hand.

"I'm driving," she told him, "When's the flare due?" 

"Twenty minutes," Trouble said. Holly nodded.

"Well then," she smiled, "Let's get going."

-----

_A/N: Okay, that chapter was a bit slow and odd. It'd be super if you review. Thanks again._

_-Liv xoxo _


	6. Frowns

_A/N: Thanks to the few people who reviewed the last chapter. It means a lot, I can't say that enough. So here's to all of you who are reading this. And yes, I realise that this update is severely overdo, and I apologize a hundred times. I've been so busy and I haven't had much time to write. Also, I got a brilliant new idea for something I want to post. I've been working on making it perfect. I'll let you know when it's up, so maybe you can read it. Anyhow, I'm rambling on now. Here's the story. Enjoy._

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**Chapter Six; Frowns **

_Ireland_

Holly Short was, without a doubt, the best shuttle pilot in all of Haven. As such, she and Trouble arrived on the surface in less than forty minutes. After a brief but annoying encounter with a particularly nosy customs official, the Major and his lovely female companion were well on their way, flying over the Irish countryside, shielded from human eyes. The shuttle that Foaly had provided them with was a two-man craft and was, therefore, automatically equipped with two sets of Hummingbird wings. On the way up, Trouble had contacted Foaly and requested that he erase all traces of the voyage that this shuttle was taking at the present time. The centaur had happily obliged, thrilled to see his best friend in the captain's chair. He then began chatting to Holly about complete nonsense. That is until she had told him to stuff a carrot down his throat and close his mouth. Of course she was joking. Foaly had laughed.

Within twenty minutes of arrival, Fowl Manor loomed into view on the green horizon. Holly bit her lip as she and Trouble slowly descended. She would've liked to make better time, but as she knew, beggars couldn't be choosers. Little by little, their descent continued, until finally their feet gracefully swept the manicured lawn. Both took a seat behind a rather large willow tree and unshielded.

"Do we have an invitation," Trouble asked.

"No," Holly shook her head, "Not yet. But give me one minute." Trouble nodded silently as Holly proceeded to pull a modified communicator from her belt. The Major smirked.

"That's illegal, you know?" he chuckled.

"I know," Holly replied innocently as she pressed a tiny button. Moments later, the pale face of Artemis Fowl appeared on the screen. Holly felt a wave of relief sweep over her. He was safe.

"Here already?" the youth asked.

"Of course," Holly said, "Do we have your permission to come in?"

"We?" Artemis echoed.

"Major Trouble Kelp is with me," Holly informed him, flashing the communicator in Trouble's direction. Artemis nodded knowingly. He had only formally met the Major on one previous occasion; right after the capture of Opal Koboi only days ago.

"Nice to see you again Major," Artemis said. Trouble nodded his agreement, and then Holly spoke again.

"So invite us in already," she snapped, mock annoyance in her voice. Artemis chuckled.

"My door is always open for you Holly. And for your friends as well."

"Good," said the elf. With that word, she broke the line of communication and placed her shield back on. Trouble mimicked her action and the pair flew up the path and right through the front door of Fowl Manor. Artemis was waiting for them in the entrance hall as they took off their shields. Trouble was immediately all business.

"Where's the perp?" he asked. Artemis smiled a trademark vampire smile at the elf.

"Why, no proper hello for your host Major Kelp?" he asked with an air of intelligent sarcasm. Trouble looked rather annoyed, whereas Holly chuckled softly at the remark. The Irish boy's attention was turned to the female. They each took a step forward and embraced each other in a friendly hug. Trouble had to try very hard to mask his disapproval of such a showcase of affection.

"So where's Butler?" Holly asked after she and Artemis had broken apart.

"Downstairs," the boy answered, "He's guarding our unwelcome guest." Holly smirked devilishly and fixed Artemis with a fake glare.

"Now," she murmured, "I wonder where Artemis Fowl would keep a fairy prisoner."

"Oh, hilarious Holly," Artemis droned, "Very clever of you. But yes, we are holding him in your old…"

"Prison," Trouble said, filling in the silence that had fallen as Artemis' words trailed off. The teenager shot Trouble a glare, complete with raised eyebrows. Trouble's facial expression was simply begging for a fight to commence. Holly rolled her eyes. 

"Men," she muttered, as she began to float lazily down the stairs, followed by the two males. Holly was very familiar with the set up of Fowl Manor and was able to locate what was previously her cell in next to no time. Of course, Butler standing in the doorway was no obvious giveaway. Holly noticed he was wearing the mirrored sunglasses just as he had been the night they first encountered each other. When the large man noticed the fairy, his mouth curled up into a smile.

"Holly," he greeted her, "Nice to see you."

"How's it going big guy?" Holly asked. 

"I think you have a good idea about that," Butler said, a slight tone of humour in his voice. He jerked his thumb towards the door behind him. Holly nodded as Artemis and Trouble came up behind her. Butler nodded politely at Trouble and gave a slight military solute with the hand that was not holding the gun.

"Hello Major," he said. 

"Hello," Trouble replied, almost coldly. Holly felt a tiny bit of anger bubble in her chest. Trouble was still a tiny bit harsh over the friendship she had built with the Mud Men. It annoyed her, to no end, that he was bitter about it. Of course, after what had happened last time, she was surprised she wasn't bitterer than he.

After the exchange of almost awkward greetings, Butler stepped away from the door. 

"I suppose you'll want to meet our visitor," he said. Trouble and Holly nodded and approached the door.

"Mind if I come with you?" Artemis asked, "I was, after all, the one he tried to kill."

"Seems safe enough," Holly said, "What do you think Butler?"

The bodyguard quickly pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his breast pocket and handed them to the teenager. Artemis smiled and put them on.

"What would I do without you Butler?" Artemis smiled as he opened up the door and the four entered. Sitting, handcuffed to a chair, was a very repulsive looking elf. Holly looked at Artemis quizzically.

"How'd you restrain him?" she asked, "If he's running hot then he could've easily broken out of those cuffs." 

"Well," Artemis muttered, looking at the floor, "I kind of…borrowed these from that troll incident."

"I don't believe you," Holly laughed. 

"I get that quite a bit," Artemis chuckled. The boy then motioned his hand to their prisoner. Trouble had already approached the criminal and was delivering the usually police speech about rights, and arrest, and such.

After he was safely subdued, Trouble and Holly brought the elf back to the Tara shuttleport. Artemis and Butler accompanied them. Trouble quickly said goodbye to the Mud Men and then told Holly he was going to secure the criminal in the shuttle. Holly nodded and turned her attention back to the humans.

"I wish I could come with you," Artemis said, staring wistfully at the spot where Trouble had just disappeared.

"I know," Holly sighed, "But I'll be sure to keep you updated. And we'll probably need your help. Especially if Sool is behind this." 

Artemis nodded. "Keep in touch," he told her. Holly smiled and quickly hugged both Artemis and Butler's leg, before entering the terminal. She made her way to where their shuttle was waiting; Trouble in the captain's seat. As she entered, Holly shot his a dirty look.

"I wanted to drive," she said.

"You snooze, you lose," Trouble grinned. Holly rolled her eyes and took her seat beside him, noting that the convict was safely tied up in the back seat. 

"Where are we going to take him?" she asked. 

"No idea," Trouble shrugged, "But we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Holly looked at him sideways. 

"Well we have ten minutes until the next flare," she said, glancing out the window to the countdown meter overhead, "Why don't we talk about it now?" 

"Because," Trouble stated, "We can talk about other things." There was something in his voice that made Holly raise her eyebrows.

"Like what?"

"Like the Mud Men." 

"What about them?" Holly asked. 

"Well, I was just thinking that maybe you shouldn't get so attached," Trouble told her. Holly narrowed her eyes. 

"Why do you care?" she said, "It's my business who my friends are." 

"We're not supposed to be friends with the Mud People," Trouble said, his voice firm and louder than usual. 

"Whatever." Holly turned her head away from her companion and glared at the window. Trouble looked over at her and his expression softened a little bit.

"You remember what happened last time," he mumbled.

Holly drew a deep breath. Of course she remembered. How could she forget?

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_A/N: Alright then, I hope you all liked that! Please review. Thanks a bunch. Cheers!_

_-Liv xoxo _


	7. Grudge

_A/N: Okay, just a quick note. All text written in italics during this chapter is a memory. I suppose you could say a flashback. It took me quite a long time to decide what was going to happen in this chapter. In fact, I'll have probably changed the outcome a hundred times before you read it. Enjoy!_

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**Chapter Seven; Grudge**

"You remember what happened last time," Trouble muttered, not able to keep a certain air of darkness from his voice. Holly said nothing. She resumed glaring out of the window, no longer wanting to talk to Trouble. Of course she remembered. There were some things that could never be forgotten. It had all begun, and ironically, ended with the mind-wipe of Artemis Fowl.

_Flying to Tara that evening had been one of Holly's worst experiences. Her hazel eyes were flooded with tears, which made navigating the Irish countryside rather difficult. Luckily, Holly was a natural-born flyer and she landed in Tara in mere minutes. As her feet touched the ground, she realized the gravity of what she had just done. Artemis Fowl was no longer a part of her life. Holly wiped the tears away from her eyes and entered the shuttleport. She would return to Haven, but when she arrived there, she had no idea where she would go. She didn't feel like returning home, just to be alone and dwell upon thoughts of her past adventures. And she didn't feel like going out and pretending to have a good time. There was only one other place that came to her mind, and after a very easy decision making process, Holly decided she would go to such place._

_There were only three people in the world that Holly trusted, and on this occasion, only one of said three would be available for communication. One was a centaur, currently too busy on the surface to speak to her. Another was a young boy, who had absolutely no idea she existed. And the third was the subject of a long-time friendship turned romance; Trouble Kelp. It wasn't until after the incident in the Arctic that Holly had realized perhaps she and Trouble were more than good friends. The then-captain had apparently noticed the same thing. And as such, a tiny, secretive romance had blossomed between the two elves. No one knew about it, not even Trouble's younger brother, who was possibly one of the nosiest creatures under the planet. They didn't really go out together, instead opting for quiet evenings spent inside one or the other's apartment. Holly was happy with Trouble, feeling that she finally had someone to fill the void in her heart that had been reserved for so long for a significant other. However, as fate would have it, as Trouble closed the romantic void, the removal of Artemis burned another hole right through Holly's heart. _

_Holly's shuttle arrived in Haven, forty-five minutes later. The Captain had dealt with an entire forty-five minutes of sorrow bottled up inside. As soon as she stepped out of the shuttleport and onto the bustling streets of Haven, she took the familiar route to Trouble's apartment. It was late evening, and Holly's guess was that Trouble had already returned home from work._

_Upon arriving at Trouble's door, Holly saw that her guess was correct. There was a light on in the apartment and so the female elf knocked, quickly getting an answer. A smile spread on Trouble's face when he saw Holly, and he immediately moved aside to let her enter. However, his smile faded when he saw the tears running down his girlfriend's cheeks. _

"_Holly," he sighed, closing the door behind her, "Are you okay? What's the matter?" Holly said nothing. Instead, she leaned against the door and sunk into a crouch. Trouble looked at her worriedly, sinking down next to her._

"_Holly?" he muttered, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder. Trouble had never seen her so distraught. It was not a pleasant sight. Holly Short, so strong, so determined; and yet he she was on his floor, bawling her eyes out._

"_It's over Trouble," she sobbed lamely, "They wiped Artemis. He's…gone."_

_Trouble had half-expected that reply. He had known today was the day of the Fowl kid's mind-wipe and he wasn't all that unhappy with the notion, although Holly clearly was. Trouble had never really liked Artemis, but he knew Holly had considered him a friend, for reasons that he would never comprehend. Trouble bit his lip, unsure of how to offer Holly comfort about such an odd situation. It was not something that any fairy had ever had to do, make someone feel better about losing a Mud Man ally. _

"_It's alright Holly," Trouble cooed, softly stroking her fingers, "He's probably better off without us. And we're probably better off without him. Our words weren't meant to be together."_

"_How can you say that?" Holly asked, almost indignantly, "He saved our hides from the goblins, and from Jon Spiro, and all you can say is that we're better off without him?"_

"_Look," Trouble sighed, still running his fingers along Holly's, "Maybe that was the wrong way to put it. I was thinking that maybe just forgetting is better."_

_He leaned in to Holly, ready to place a soft kiss on her familiar lips, but she pulled away, fixing him with a cold stare._

"_No," she said simply, "I can't forget. He's a part of my life. Just as much as you are."_

_That struck a nerve with Trouble. He stood up, to his full height, and Holly, sensing an argument, did the same. And even though he was a few centimetres taller, Holly did not feel in the slightest way intimidated._

"_He's a Mud Boy," Trouble hissed, "He kidnapped you and held you for ransom! How can you possibly think that you two could be friends?"  
_

"_Because," Holly said curtly, "I know Artemis Fowl better than anyone. He's changed." _

"_He's still a Mud Boy Holly," Trouble told her, "Forget about him. Live in there here and now. The here and now does not include Artemis Fowl. He's dead to us, and we're non-existent to him. End of story."_

_Holly blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. How could Trouble say such things? How could he not understand what she felt? How could he be so rude and unloving when she needed him most?_

"_I'm sorry you feel that way," Holly whispered._

"_I'm sorry too," Trouble said, "For raising my voice. I didn't mean to." He leaned in once more, to kiss the top of Holly's forehead, hoping that it would make all forgiven. However, Holly moved away once more._

_  
"No," she said, "I think you did mean it. You can't get over your hate of Artemis Fowl. And the way you're acting right now Trouble, that makes you just as pathetic as the Mud Men."_

_The way she had said it struck up something inside the Retrieval Captain. There was venom laced through her words, and had looks been lethal, Trouble would've been a corpse. Something came over Trouble as Holly turned to leave, and before she could reach the door, he had a firm grip on her wrist. He wheeled Holly around so she was looking in his eyes. The hazel orbs sparkled with anger._

"_Let me go," she hissed darkly._

"_Don't you ever compare me to the Mud Men," Trouble snapped, "Don't you ever talk to me like that again." Almost unwillingly, his grip on her wrist tightened and for a single second pain and fear flashed across Holly's eyes, but then it was gone._

"_Let me go," she repeated, this time more firmly. Trouble obeyed, letting her go and shoving her into the door as he did so. Holly stumbled over her own feet as she struggled to regain composure. Without another word, she left the apartment and hurried home, if possible, more upset than she had been before._

In the shuttle, Holly blinked a few times, her eyes tired of staring, unblinkingly, out the window. After that day she had barely said two words to Trouble in one go. Their relationship had ended mutually, and without a word. Holly had harboured anger towards him for quite some time. Of course, he had somewhat redeemed himself only days ago, when he had disobeyed Sool and not opened fire on her shuttle. But nonetheless, Holly was not happy with having to be so close to the Major for so long. She heaved a deep sigh. Maybe it was time to forgive and forget.

-----

_A/N: Alright then, so that was the 'incident' I've been leading up to. I hope it wasn't lame. Oh well, please review! And a special thanks to the two people who seem to be the only one's still reading this. Jess and Lily, you guys are awesome. Thanks!_

_-Liv xoxo_


	8. Hit Man

**Chapter Eight; Hit-man **

_Haven_

The ride back down to Haven was a quiet one. Trouble had opened his mouth to make conversation several times, but words never escaped his lips. Holly didn't really mind. Talking was not something she was very eager to do; not after Trouble had so blatantly brought up their past. When they finally arrived home, no one in the shuttle moved a muscle. There was a thick silence, broken finally by Holly.

"So, what are we going to do with him?" Her voice was tense, as if she were on the brink of yelling, "We can't hold him in the LEP in case…you know."

"But maybe be can," Trouble mused. That earned him a raised eyebrow from his female companion. Holly said nothing, but the fact that she wanted an explanation was written all over her face.

"Well, Foaly's been working on this new project," Trouble continued, "From what Sool knows it's still being designed, but the project is under my request, so I'm the one looking after it. And it's done, already been tested, but not being released just yet."

"Okay," Holly said, "And what is this project?" 

"It's a new type of cell, maximum security, anti-magic, made from a stronger metal, all that stuff," Trouble informed her, "There's currently only one, and it's in the big workroom Foaly has, built right into the wall." He paused for a moment. "It may not be the best idea, but unless you can think of anything else…" 

"It's a good idea," Holly interrupted, "We just have to be careful. One mistake and you're out of a job, and knowing Sool, I'll get arrested."

"At least you'd be able to tell Foaly how well his new cell works," Trouble offered, an attempt to slice through the tension that was still in the air. Holly smirked, but just slightly. Of course she found the joke amusing, but she wouldn't give Trouble the pleasure of knowing such.

"Okay," she said, standing up, "Let's get going. It's late and I have stuff to do tonight." Trouble nodded and stood as well. After a quick call to Foaly, Holly determined that Sool and most of the officers had gone home for the night, and as such she and Trouble had a clear run to the Ops Booth. The two elves grabbed their prisoner and led him straight to Foaly's booth. Foaly was waiting for them, a large door behind his desk hanging open. Holly and Trouble walked the criminal inside, the centaur following behind with a clip-clop of hooves.

"It's right over here," Foaly said, motioning to a metal bars built into the wall.

"Oh really," Holly said sarcastically, "I would have never guessed." 

"Ahh Holly," Foaly sighed, "It's so _wonderful_ to have you back."

"Just open it," Holly laughed, jokingly rolling her eyes. Foaly approached the metal bars and requested that they open, which they did.

"Voice activated," Foaly smiled, "My baby responds only to me."

"Don't you think that may be a problem when they're actually put on the field Foaly?" Holly asked, "I mean, you never leave the Ops Booth." 

Foaly shot her a sarcastic smile as she and Trouble threw the ugly elf into the cell. As they were closing the doors, the elf began to shout out some very rude, unprintable curse words. Holly rolled her eyes.

"What's your name?" Trouble asked, his voice hard and commanding.

"Like I'd tell you, scum," the elf spat vehemently at Trouble. Holly was annoyed at that comment. If there was one thing Holly Short hated it was a criminal with attitude.

"How about you tell him before I incapacitate you so you can't tell anyone anything," Holly snapped. The elf's face did not falter one bit.

"With what gun?" he asked cockily. Holly chewed her bottom lip in frustration. She hated not being able to have a Neutrino on her hip at all times. The girl turned to Trouble and held out her hand.

"Major?" she said, looking up at him, her intentions all too clear. Trouble smirked and handed Holly his Neutrino, which she preceded to point at the convict.

"Now," she said, "Your name."

For a moment, the elf said nothing. His features, already ugly, were contorted with hatred. Holly waited, her finger resting threateningly on the trigger.

"Jones," the elf finally spat, glaring at the auburn-haired female, "Alfie Jones."

"Good," Holly said, handing the gun back to Trouble, "Now, you're going to stay here. And if I find out you're lying, we'll be back. With a bigger gun."

Holly turned on her heel and headed out of the room, followed by Trouble and Foaly. Once they were back in Foaly's office, the centaur closed the door to his workroom and locked it up for the day. 

"Alright," Trouble said, "I'll check out the files and see what records we have." The Major began to exit the room, but Foaly interrupted his departure.

"I can do that here," said the centaur.

"I know," Trouble nodded, "But Sool is probably monitoring every search you run on this computer. I mean, if by chance he picks up the shuttle leaving, we can make something up about a Recon assignment, but if he sees this name, especially if it's his associate, well we're in deep hot water."

"But don't you think Sool will be monitoring your computer too?" Holly asked, "He knows we're friends and all, and he even forbid you from taking the case."

"That's why I'm not going to use my computer," Trouble smirked. Holly and Foaly looked at him quizzically. His smirk grew even wider.

"I'll use Grub's." And with that, he took off, turning left and heading down the hall. That left Holly and Foaly in the Ops Booth.

"That was a smart idea," Holly said casually. Foaly laughed and trotted up to his friend, embracing her tightly.

"I missed you," he said quietly.

"It's been a week Foaly," Holly laughed, "Not even." 

"I know, but Sool sucks. And now, no one brings me carrots." Holly rolled her eyes and patted Foaly's flank.

"I'll make sure you get your carrots," she said, "I'll ask Trouble to bring them to you." The centaur snorted. Holly shot him a small glare and Foaly raised his hands apologetically.

"Sorry Holly," he said, "But you really can't blame me for thinking the guy is pretty low." Of course he was referring to the entire incident which followed Artemis' mind-wipe. Holly had burst into the Ops Booth the next day, clearly distraught, and had told Foaly everything. Needless to say, he harboured certain hard feelings towards the Major.

"It was a mistake," Holly muttered.

"It's not mistake," Foaly said, "Hurting someone is never a mistake." 

"You know, he brought it up tonight," Holly said sadly. 

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, he was getting angry about the fact that we had to go see Artemis. I don't understand why he can't just accept that we're friends Foaly. He's so insufferable sometimes, but I still can't help and feel like…" 

"You still love him?" Foaly finished her sentence as her voice trailed into nothingness. Holly looked up and nodded; just once, very curtly. Love was a strong word, but no one had ever made her happier than Trouble. No one had ever made her feel so complete. But she had gone and screwed that up.

"It's alright," Foaly said. He patted Holly on the back as Trouble came back into the office. He looked at the pair with raised eyebrows.

"Are you alright Holly?" he asked.

"She's fine," Foaly said coolly, "Just tired." Holly nodded, thankful for Foaly's lie.

"Alright," Trouble sighed, "I found out that a century ago, this guy was charged with murder, about three of them. Apparently, he never chose his victims, they were chosen for him." 

"A hit man?" Holly asked. Trouble nodded.

"He was let out on good behaviour thirty-seven years ago," the Major said. Holly bit her lip thoughtfully. This was quite a development. Once a hit man, always a hit man, meaning someone had hired him.

"Okay," Holly said, "We have to figure out who hired this guy. I'll go to the office and ask Mulch if he knows anything. I can run his name through my database too. I think it's a bit different than yours."

She winked at Foaly, who looked shocked that there was information that his database did not have. Holly laughed and hugged Foaly one last time. 

"Bye guys," she said turning to leave the office.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Trouble blurted out as she placed her hand on the doorknob. Holly turned around after a single moment of indecision and nodded. Trouble bid Foaly goodbye and the two elves left Police Plaza, heading to Holly's Private Investigations office.

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_A/N: Alright then, hope you liked that. Please review and thanks again, for reading! Cheers!_

_-Liv xoxo_


	9. Intimacy

_A/N: So here I am, sitting at my computer, eating delicious chocolate truffle ice cream, and thinking about what to do. And then, I remembered I owe you wonderful reviewers and update. So without further ado, as I put my ice cream off to the side to melt into a tragic demise, here is your update…_

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**Chapter Nine; Intimacy **

The walk back to Holly's office was a quiet one. She and Trouble stayed on opposite ends of the sidewalk, their lips closed firmly. It was not a long walk, less than half an hour, but even half an hour spent in awkward silence is enough to wear down anyone's nerves. Trouble Kelp was no exception. He was, without a doubt, full to the brim with things to say by the time the two elves reached the porch of the office.

The strips that were used to light Haven by day were waning quickly, signalling the beginning of a peaceful night. Holly skipped up the steps of the porch and reached for the front door. But before she could enter in the digits that would open the door and let her in, she was stopped by Trouble, placing himself between her and the mechanism. Now, this alone was very awkward, as Holly's porch was not very big at all. She found herself pressed up against her once upon a time lover, their noses not two inches apart. If Trouble hadn't grabbed her hands, Holly would've slapped him across the face.

"Look," he mumbled, not gazing directly in the pretty elf's eyes.

"At what?" Holly growled, her voice barely audible. The ghost of a smile played upon Trouble's lips for a moment, before he was entirely serious again. Seeing the infuriating would-be grin on his face only made Holly want to hit him more, but Trouble was strong, and for the moment in control.

"I just want to apologize," he said, staring up at the lamp which hung over their heads, glowing a faint yellow. Holly grunted and moved her hands a bit. Trouble kept his grip firm, but not hurtful as it had been on the night so many moons ago.

"Holly, I'm serious," he said, his lips so close to her face that she could smell the sweet liquorice scent of the candy he had been chewing earlier. "I'm so sorry for all the things I did to hurt you. I miss being with you so much. When that whole thing with Opal happened, I was so scared. Terrified that I would lose you before I got to tell you all this. Before I got to say that I still love you."

Holly closed her eyes tightly, willing the tears to stay in. She remembered her thoughts from back in the shuttle, about forgiving and forgetting. She remembered her conversation with Foaly, about still being in love. Well, forgiving, that was one thing. A rekindled relationship was a whole other matter. The ex-captain had no idea what to do, no clue as to what to say. She felt Trouble loosen his grip a bit, and she immediately drew her hands away to her own body, where they strayed into her pockets. Holly opened her eyes, staring forcefully at her shoes.

"Trouble…" Holly spluttered. Her brain could not supply her mouth with a single phrase, a lone word. Trouble placed his hand delicately under Holly's chin, and raised her gaze to meet his.

"Do you forgive me?" he whispered so softly that Holly barely heard. She stared deep into Trouble's eyes, and he stared back into hers, his gaze not faltering for a moment. Briefly, Holly nodded. Trouble closed the extremely small distance between his lips and Holly's, gracing her with a small kiss. Holly felt the blood rush to her cheeks and suddenly wished that the lamp overhead would burn out. As Trouble drew away, Holly wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart. She felt him shaking softly and looked up at his face, seeing small tears running down his cheeks. He returned her embrace, trying very hard to stop the sobbing. The pair stood there, for what seemed like forever, locked in a perfect embrace, and both felt good. Of course all good things must come to an end.

The end of their embrace was brought upon by the opening of the door to the office building. Mulch Diggums, Holly's partner in fighting crime, stood in the doorway, looking at the two elves, a smirk on his lips.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he chuckled. Holly and Trouble broke apart awkwardly and looked at the dwarf.

"No, nothing," Holly said, her face slowly returning to its normal tinge. She and Trouble entered the building, followed by Mulch who was still silently chuckling. Once inside, Trouble looked around and laughed. Holly looked at him sideways.

"It's even messier than your apartment," he said.

"And yours," Holly retorted. Trouble continued to look around as Holly met Mulch's gaze. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down, much to Holly's horror. However, the elf hid her horror and made a fist at her partner, who instantly stopped his wiggling and looked at the Major.

"So what brings you here Kelp?" he asked, "I'm not under arrest am I?"

"No," Trouble rolled his eyes, "Far from it. We're working on a case. The database Holly?"

"Oh yeah," Holly said, "This way." She walked into a room towards the back of the house-like building where a large computer sat on a rickety looking desk. Holly took a seat on the chair behind the screen and booted the machine to life.

"Mind if I stay?" Mulch asked. Holly shook her head.

"You're my partner," she said, "In case you forgot." 

"No," Mulch said, "The regular beatings help me to remember." 

Holly chuckled and looked up at Trouble, who was smiling ear to ear. After a minute or so, the computer was running and Holly opened up her search files, typing in the name that the ugly elf had given them at Police Plaza. She scanned the screen quickly and nearly gasped as she reached the bottom. 

"Oh Frond," she mumbled through her fingers. 

"Problem?" Trouble asked, looking over her shoulder. Holly pointed to the screen. 

"See for yourself," she said. Trouble read over the information presented to him with haste. When he was finished, he looked nearly flabbergasted.

"I don't believe it," he breathed.

"I do," said Holly, "I've never trusted that gnome."

What Holly's files had revealed was quite disturbing, in fact. Alfie, as the elf was known, was originally released off his sentence early by none other than Ark Sool. It also stated that in the original vote for his sentence, Sool had voted the minimal penalty.

"They must be friends," Holly muttered, "This is bad. This proves it. Our Commander…I mean, your Commander is a no good, double-crossing stink worm."

"What do we do?" Trouble asked.

"We need to find out what his plan is," Holly said, "But we can't do anything of that sort tonight. So go home, get some sleep, and I'll see you at my door nice and early in the morning."

"Alright, see you then." Trouble quickly placed a kiss on Holly's cheek and showed himself out, leaving a very happy Holly and a very confused Mulch in the office.

"So," urged the dwarf, "What's really going on between you two?"

"Nothing that's important to you," Holly said, "You get some sleep too. I have a feeling that you'll have your work cut out for you the next few days."

"I'll sleep here," Mulch said, "You going home?" 

"Yeah, night Mulch."

After brief goodbyes, Holly began her jog home, reaching her apartment in twenty minutes. She changed into pyjamas and hopped into bed, hoping to get a better night's sleep then she did the previous night. Holly smiled as she drifted into dreamland. Her thoughts were of one man and one man alone. Trouble Kelp, her one and only weakness.

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_A/N: So that's that. Let's see. I'm thinking major foreshadowing in this chapter. Dun, dun, dun. Ha! Anyways, hope you enjoyed that one. Review please, and look out for my new story, due out in a few days. Potentially tonight, maybe tomorrow. Soontimes anyway! Cheers._

_-Liv xoxo_


	10. Jabs

_A/N: Okay, I know it's been a while and I'm so sorry! I've just been having a little trouble thinking up a way to get to the ending I have planned. Anyways, here is the next, severely delayed, update. Enjoy!_

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**Chapter Ten; Jabs **

Haven's sun strips were just fading into sunrise when Holly Short was pulled out of bed by a loud knock on her door. Grumbling as she got out of bed, Holly made a mental note to beat Trouble for arriving so early. She would have to tell him that was such a thing as being _too_ gung-ho. Pushing the thoughts of how much she hated early mornings to the back of her mind, Holly stumbled to the door and answered it. However when Holly opened the door, she was quite surprised; and not in the good way.

Instead of Trouble Kelp, her morning callers were two burly gnomes. It took Holly's tiredness less than a second to slip away into alertness and she instantly realized the danger she was in. Both gnomes were armed with the same guns that had been stolen from the Birch crime scene and as such, Holly had to automatically assume that they were loaded. The elf was pushed back into her apartment by one of the gnomes while the other closed and locked the door. Once they were sure that there would be no interruptions, both the gnomes launched themselves at Holly in an attempted attack.

Unfortunately for them, Holly would not go down without a fight. A well-placed roundhouse kick sent one of the poor gnomes flying into the wall. A quick glance in his direction told Holly that he appeared to be unconscious. She smirked inside. The fight was fair now, even though this gnome seemed to excel much more than his partner in hand-to-hand combat. Holly had no doubts that he had done some wrestling in his younger years.

The two were locked in intense combat, punches flying everywhere. Holly wondered if they were making enough noise to wake the neighbours. In her momentary lapse of concentration, the gnome took a chance and aimed a kick at Holly, hitting her square in the stomach. She fell backwards, spluttering for air. The gnome she had been fighting only moments ago stood over her, a satisfied grin on his face.

"You can't win girly," he said, "Drop the case now, or we'll do to you what we did to the annoying centaur."

Holly felt her heart rate increase. There was only one annoying centaur they could be talking about. Feeling the rage inside her bubble, Holly stuck out her leg and kicked the gnome across the knees, causing his joints to buckle. He was brought to the floor and Holly pounced. She pummelled the tiny creature with as much force as she could muster, causing bruises and cuts all over his face.

"What did you do?!" she hissed at him, fingers grasping his throat. 

The gnome just laughed, blood gushing from his lip all over Holly's once clean floor. His laugh infuriated the elf and she tightened her grip on his neck, causing him to gasp, struggling to breath. 

"If you hurt him, I swear to Frond I'll…" 

Holly never got to finish her threat as she felt cold metal hit her over the head with extreme force. She knew that the other gnome had woken up from his daze. Her vision became blurry as she slowly passed out, into complete darkness.

-----

Trouble Kelp woke up with a smile on his face. He had been dreaming of the events of the previous day. He had kissed Holly again, and he finally remembered how absolutely perfect it felt. The Major hopped out of bed enthusiastically, looking forward to spending some time working alongside Holly. After a quick shower, he suited up in his LEP uniform and began to walk to Holly's, where he would spend some time mulling over the case with her before he had to check into work at Police Plaza.

He reached her apartment in what felt like next to no time and made his way to her apartment. He stood at her door and smoothed out his hair before knocking. There was no answer. Trouble grinned. She was definitely still sleeping. He knocked again, a little harder. Still no answer. The Major chuckled and pressed his ear against the door, to listen for any clues that would indicate Holly was getting out of bed or taking a shower. Instead of running water or footsteps though, Major Kelp heard something that made his heart skip a beat. There was a muffled voice coming from inside, words completely unrecognizable.

"Holly!" he shouted through the door, hoping that no neighbours would come out and curse at him for shouting at such an early hour. Trouble listened closely and noticed that the muffled voice had gotten louder, more urgent. He heard something that sounded distinctly like help.

"Oh gods," Trouble muttered, his eyes rushing around the hallway, trying to think of what to do. This was the first time he had felt terrified for as long as he could remember. Holly was in danger. That was the only thought he could process. That is, until his eyes fell upon the number pad that could be used to open her door. He prayed that she had not changed the code since they had broken up and tried the numbers he had used to enter her dwelling on so many previous occasions. 

There was a slight hiss and the door slid open. Trouble breathed a quick sigh of relief and then rushed into the apartment. He saw signs of a struggle and blood stains all over the floor. _Please,_ he thought, _Please don't let those be Holly's. _He continued on into the kitchen where he finally caught sight of the female elf. She was sitting, bound to a kitchen chair, with a cloth taped around her mouth. Trouble went wide-eyed with horror and rushed to her side, quickly removing the cloth, which was making it difficult for her to breathe properly. As soon as her airways were clear, Holly gulped in a large amount of oxygen.

"Finally," she muttered feebly. Trouble nearly laughed. That was Holly Short for you; a near death experience and a joke. He noted, greatly impressed, that Holly did not seem to have been crying. She was strong.

"Are you okay?" Trouble asked, grabbing a knife from the cupboard and cutting at the ropes that were tied around her wrists and ankles.

"Peachy," Holly replied, "I was knocked out and I woke up like this."

"It's okay," Trouble said, breaking the last of the bonds and holding out a hand to Holly. She took it and stood, blue sparks dancing around the lacerations the rope had left on her skin.

"What happened?" Trouble asked, leading the elf into the living room. Holly looked at the blood all over her floor and closed her eyes. She nearly killed that gnome; after what he said about Foaly. Holly paled. She had just remembered what the gnome had said.

"Foaly!" she exclaimed, "They've got Foaly! They told me to stay off the case or else I'd end up like Foaly! Oh gods, Trouble, we have to find him."

"We will," Trouble placed a hand around her shoulder, "They were probably just lying, to scare you. Who did this Holly? What did they look like?" 

"Two gnomes," she muttered, "I'll kill them if I ever see them again." Her bottom lip was trembling and Trouble knew she was on the verge of tears. Julius had died not even two weeks ago, and now Foaly was in danger. He could sense that Holly felt as though her entire world was falling apart. He held her closer.

"It'll be okay," he said, "I promise." 

"You have to go," Holly said suddenly, pulling herself away from Trouble's grip. He looked confused. "Go to Police Plaza," Holly continued, "Make sure Foaly is okay. Please." 

Trouble nodded and stood up. Holly stayed seated.

"Do you want to come with me?" he asked, "I don't think they'll come back, but I can't be sure." 

Holly nodded and stood up as well. They exited her apartment and headed down the hall. Trouble grabbed Holly's hand as they walked down the stairs. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. 

"Yeah," Holly said, "Thanks for that…back there." Trouble smiled down at the slightly shorter elf. Yes, everything would be just fine. He would make sure of it.

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_A/N: I doubt that was worth the wait, and I'm terribly sorry again. The next update won't take as long. I'm finally back on track with this thing…for now. Reviews are much appreciated. Cheers!_

_-Liv xoxo_


	11. Kidnapped

_A/N: Alright, so this story is potentially going on hold. I say potentially because I feel that a few plotlines I had for this thing are too similar to my other story, which I have quite the attachment too. I mean, it's a different storyline and all, but I still think that there are too many striking similarities. Now, I am definitely not going to just leave you hanging. No, I will finish this thing eventually. It's just that updates will be very slow, maybe once a week or so. Don't fret though, I promise you'll get an ending._

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**Chapter Eleven; Kidnapped?**

Trouble bustled into Police Plaza, dragging a protesting Holly Short behind him. He ignored all of her comments comparing him to a goblin and all her lecturing about the chances of loosing his job. He pulled her all the way to the Ops Booth, earning the pair an uncountable number of odd looks. Once they reached Ops, Trouble dropped Holly's sleeve and pointed to the booth expectantly. Holly glared at him with certain malice before turning and walking into Foaly's sanctuary.

Well, actually, Holly didn't quite get to waltz right in, as the door was locked. The elf's heart hammered in her throat, making her feel slightly sick. She turned back to Trouble, who noticed that she had paled considerably.

"Major," she spoke calmly, although her insides were ablaze with worry, "Do you happen to have a key code?"

Trouble let out a heavy sigh. The locked door meant something wasn't right. Foaly may have been paranoid, but he never locked the Ops Booth while he was inside which, considering the hour, he should have been. Trouble shook his head solemnly. Holly blinked a few times to process his action and finally, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"We go right to the top," Trouble said firmly. Holly looked at him as though he had suggested they picnic with trolls.

"Sool?" she hissed, "Are you insane? Just having me here in enough evidence for him that you're somehow committing treason."

"You have two choices," Trouble said, beginning to turn away from her, "Either follow, or I'll drag you again." With that he strode away, knowing full well that Holly would choose the first option. She jogged a few steps to catch up with the Major. Once they were at an equal pace, Holly shot him another dirty glare.

"So what are we going to do?" she asked, "March into his office and ask if he's an assassin and a kidnapper. Oh, that'll go really well Trouble, let me tell you."

"Relax," Trouble chuckled, "And leave the talking to me, understand?"

"Whatever," Holly said, nodding somewhat grudgingly. The two walked in silence the rest of the way to the Commander's office, Holly earning many stares from various officers. She heard her name whispered several times. Once there, Trouble knocked on the door.

"Come in," the words echoed from the other side of the door. Holly instantly recognized the voice to be that of Sool. She felt her stomach do a back flip and as Trouble opened the door, she had the insane urge to jump the Commander and beat him into nothingness. However, she had to settle for the look of pure surprise written over the gnome's ugly features when she entered. It was almost as satisfying.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Sool spat, glaring at Trouble.

"Commander, sir, Holly is here on my request. She came to visit Foaly but he seems to not be in the Ops Booth. You wouldn't happen to know his whereabouts would you sir?"

Holly wanted to be sick all over Sool's neatly arranged desk. It was killing her to hear Trouble talking like that to someone she hated so passionately. Sool looked annoyed with Trouble's question.

"No Major Kelp," he shot, "I do not know where the pony is. In fact, he never showed up for work today. I swear, his attitude makes me want to break all four of his legs. It's a shame he's so bloody intelligent."

Holly felt her teeth gnawing at the insides of her cheeks. Sool was definitely a stinkworm. And when she brought him down from the little pedestal he had placed himself on…well that would be her greatest achievement to date.

"Is that all Major Kelp?" Sool continued as though he had not just uttered a huge insult about one of Holly's closest friends.

"Yes, that'll be all Commander Sool, sir," Trouble replied, nodding his head a bit.

"Very well, you're excused. And take the trash out with you." Sool nodded in Holly's direction. She opened her mouth to tell him to get eaten by a troll, but Trouble grabbed her sleeve and quickly led her out of the office. He led her all the way outside, sitting down on the steps of Police Plaza. Holly looked outraged.

"Do you believe him?" she half-shouted. Trouble looked incredibly upset.

"He's so evil," said the Major, "I'm amazed he ever managed to get Commander."

"I hate him," Holly spat, "And he did something to Foaly! I know it!" 

"We need proof," Trouble mumbled lamely.

"I'll find it," she vowed, "He won't get away with this. Oh gods, I just hope Foaly is alright."

"I'm sure he is," Trouble said, although he was anything but sure. The two sat in silence for a few moments before Trouble stood up.

"I better get back to work," he said. Holly bid him farewell as he re-entered the building, leaving her alone on the steps. She sighed deeply. Artemis would know what to do. He always did. He knew how to beat Jon Spiro and Opal Koboi, and without him the goblins would've overrun Haven.

With that thought, Holly's eyes bugged. A new idea had just struck her. And that idea was anything but good. She stood up and ran all the way back to the firm she ran with Mulch.

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_A/N: Pretty crummy update, I know. But I've had a bad day, and I'm having trouble with this story. As I said, it's going to be on and off for a few weeks. I'm really sorry. Anyways, please review! Cheers._

_-Liv xoxo_


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